In an ecosystem, which organism is typically at the top of the food chain?

In an ecosystem, the organism typically found at the top of the food chain is the tertiary consumer. These organisms are predators that feed on secondary consumers and have few, if any, natural enemies. Tertiary consumers often occupy a critical role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem by controlling the populations of the organisms they prey upon.

For example, in a typical food web, primary producers such as plants capture energy from sunlight, which is then passed on to primary consumers, or herbivores, that eat these plants. Secondary consumers, which are usually carnivores that eat primary consumers, are then preyed upon by tertiary consumers. This hierarchical structure illustrates the flow of energy and nutrients through an ecosystem, with tertiary consumers at the highest trophic level, effectively stabilizing populations and contributing to biodiversity.